Aside from Tuimoloau, 10 Other Local Headliners Who Passed on UW Football
As much as the fans insist otherwise, college football has no borders. The game has gotten a lot bigger than the sentimentality that once kept a talented local teen from passing on the University of Washington.
A player, for example such as J.T. Tuimoloau.
With the endless campus football camps, official and unofficial visits, intricate recruiting rankings, transfer portal and the new name, image and likeness allowances, extremely gifted high schools now are more inclined to play the college game far from home.
Tuimoloau was seemingly always headed for Ohio State by the glitz that comes with that school, unless one of his other suitors could somehow talk him out of it. They couldn't. Not Washington, Oregon or USC. Alabama couldn't even get a visit.
This is one reason the Huskies now have three Texas running backs where schools such as Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor or Houston would love to have just one of them.
While the fan disappointment over Tumoloau's choice was unavoidable, this wasn't the first time a supremely gifted local player has chosen a school other than the UW for football.
In fact, we have 10 state players of elite stature who went elsewhere as follows:
Ahmad Rashad
Known as Bobby Moore, this Mount Tahoma High product from Tacoma in 1968 shunned the Huskies for Oregon, where he became a first-team All-American running back as a junior. He wouldn't consider the UW because coach Jim Owens dropped his cousin, Donnie Moore, from the Huskies during the 1966 season over the contrived offense of drinking beer in a tavern. Owens lost two likely All-Americans by doing this. Just two weeks before he was run off, Donnie Moore rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns in a stunning 38-22 victory at Ohio State.
Marc Wilson
This highly regarded quarterback from Shorecrest High in north Seattle remembers his UW visit going something like this: He had to carefully step around boxes piled high in the office of the new Husky coach, who unpacked while they chatted. It was all very casual. After speaking with Don James, Wilson chose BYU, where he became a 1979 consensus All-America selection, a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders and an NFL player for a decade.
Demetrious DuBose
This inside linebacker played just a few miles from the UW at Seattle's O'Dea High School and was considered the state's top player in 1989. DuBose was a frequent visitor to Husky spring practices. Yet in the end, he went with the Catholic connection and signed with the other Fighting Irish, Notre Dame. He became a team co-captain and a second-round NFL draft pick. Sadly, he was just 28 when he was shot and killed in California during an incident that involved police in 1999.
Drew Bledsoe
Also in 1989, this 6-foot-6 quarterback from Walla Walla High was considered a lock all along for nearby Washington State because of its passing attack and advantageous geographical location. However, the UW still held out hope of landing him because his father, Mac, had been a starting Husky offensive tackle. This Bledsoe became the No. 1 overall pick for the New England Patriots in the 1993 NFL draft, played 14 seasons of pro ball and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection until he was replaced by Tom Brady.
Jonathan Stewart
The state's top player in 2004 and all-time leading rusher with 7,755 yards, this swift and powerful running back from Timberline High in Lacey, Washington, really had no interest in a UW program that was fast sinking into decline. He chose Oregon over Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC and countless others, and became a two-time, first-team All-American running back. A second-round draft pick, he enjoyed a 13-year NFL career.
Steve Schilling
At 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds and an offensive tackle for Bellevue High in the Seattle suburbs, Schilling easily was the No. 1 player in the state in 2005. The recruiting battle for him came down to Michigan and Washington, and the Big Ten team won out. However, injuries and illness repeatedly interrupted his college career, leaving Schilling as a sixth-round NFL draft pick. He retired after three pro seasons because of a knee injury.
Taylor Mays
In 2006, the state's top player went elsewhere once more. Another O'Dea standout, Mays was a superb safety. He also was the son of Stafford Mays, a former UW and NFL defensive lineman, which gave local fans great hope the defensive back would commit to the Huskies. However, the younger Mays became enamored with USC and Pete Carroll and signed with the Trojans. He was a three-time, first-team All-American and a second-round draft pick, playing eight seasons in the NFL and CFL.
David DeCastro
Bellevue High continued to pump out elite players and in 2007 its best one was offensive lineman David DeCastro. A dominant player, he chose Stanford over the Huskies, Washington State, Oregon State and others. He became a unanimous All-American guard for the Cardinal as a junior and was drafted in the first round with the 24th pick overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. A six-time Pro Bowl selection in nine NFL seasons, he currently is looking for a new team after getting let go for cap reasons, which shouldn't be difficult.
Myles Jack
A linebacker and running back, Jack emerged as the best player for Bellevue High's 14-0 state championship team in 2012. Well acquainted with former Seahawks coach and ex-Husky linebacker Jim Mora, he followed the guy to UCLA, rejecting the advances of the UW, Stanford, Florida State, Arizona State and others. A second-round pick, he's played six seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars and is still active as a pro footballer.
Foster Sarell
Rated as the nation's top offensive-line prospect from Graham-Kapowsin High in Graham, Washington, Sarell picked Stanford over Washington in 2016. At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, he didn't pan out as advertised, starting just 17 games for the Cardinal and not getting drafted in April. When they didn't sign Sarell, the Huskies offered that scholarship to Jaxson Kirkland, a player of near identical size who is now considered a first-round draft pick and an All-America candidate.
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